5/12/2008

Meet the Biante, Mazda's new Japan-only 8-passenger minivan. The funky oversized headlamps, expansive greenhouse, and stylish frenched taillamps are the work of Iwao Koizumi, designer of the original Atenza (Mazda6 outside Japan) and CX-7.

Mazda announced the Biante earlier this week, and details are still a bit thin thin. According to the automaker, the new people-mover's name is derived from the word "ambient" and will deliver the most interior space in its class when it goes on sale later this summer. We expect to learn more technical info then, but in the meantime, we've got a promo video after the jump as well as a high-res photo gallery below.

If you can read Japanese, you can also stop by the official Biante website, which features a bunch of Gumby-like characters that represent a family of seven, plus one dog -- all of whom should fit in the new ride. You know, if they were real people. It's all very Japanese.